Ruegg, D.

Ruegg, D. on the DRL

Authors of English Works • Authors of French Works • Professors Emeritus • Translators

David Seyfort Ruegg

English Phonetics	David Seyfort Ruegg
Sort Name	Ruegg

Dates

Birth:	1931
Death:	2021
Place of birth:	New York

Tibetan calendar dates

Dates of birth

Day
Month
Gender
Element
Animal
Rab Jyung

Dates of passing

Day
Month
Gender
Element
Animal
Rab Jyung

About

Primary Language:	English; French
Translates from:	Tibetan
Translates to:	English; French

PhD University

École des Hautes Etudes

Biographical Information

Please see Ruegg's obituary here.

David Seyfort Ruegg (New York, 1931) was an eminent Buddhologist with a long career, extending from the 1950s to the present. His specialty was Madhyamaka philosophy, a core doctrine of Mahayana Buddhism.

Ruegg graduated from École des Hautes Etudes in 1957 with degrees in historical science and Sanskrit. He published his thesis "Contributions à l'histoire de la philosophie linguistique indienne" ("Contributions to the History of Indian Linguistic Philosophy") in 1959. He received a second doctorate in linguistics from the Sorbonne in Paris, where his thesis was "La théorie du tathâgatagarbha et du gotra : études sur la sotériologie et la gnoséologie du bouddhisme" ("The Theory of Gotra and Tathâgatagarbha: A Study of the Soteriology and Gnoseology of Buddhism"), with a second half thesis on Bu Rin chen grub's approach to tathâgatagarbha. In 1964 he joined the faculty of the Ecole Francaise d'Extreme Orient, where he researched the history, philology and philosophy of India, Tibet and Buddhism.

From 1966-1972 Ruegg occupied the Chair of Languages and Cultures of India and Tibet at Leiden University. His predecessor was Jan Willem de Jong and his successor was Tilmann Vetter. He has since become associated with the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

Ruegg was president of the International Association for Buddhist Studies (IABS) from 1991 to 1999. (Source Accessed Aug 5, 2020)

Links

Wiki Pages

• Ruegg, D. on the DRL
• Ruegg, D. on the LIB
• Ruegg, D. on the BNW

Buddha Nature Project

Person description or short bio

Expand to see this person's philosophical positions on Buddha-nature.

Is Buddha-nature considered definitive or provisional?
Position:
Notes:
All beings have Buddha-nature
Position:
If "Qualified", explain:
Notes:
Which Wheel Turning
Position:
Notes:
Yogācāra vs Madhyamaka
Position:
Notes:
Zhentong vs Rangtong
Position:
Notes:
Promotes how many vehicles?
Position:
Notes:
Analytic vs Meditative Tradition
Position:
Notes:
What is Buddha-nature?
Position:
Notes:
Svātantrika (རང་རྒྱུད་) vs Prāsaṅgika (ཐལ་འགྱུར་པ་)
Position:
Notes:
Causal nature of the vajrapāda
Position:

Short List of Publications

• Contributions à l'histoire de la philosophie linguistique indienne, Paris, Éd. de Boccard (Public. de l'Institut de civilisation indienne, 7). 1959
• The life of Bu ston Rin po che, Roma, Istituto Italiano per il Medio ed Estremo Oriente. 1966
• The study of Indian and Tibetan thought: some problems and perspectives, Inaugural lecture, Chair of Indian Philosophy, Buddhist Studies and Tibetan, University of Leiden, Brill. 1967
• La théorie du tathâgatagarbha et du gotra : études sur la sotériologie et la gnoséologie du bouddhisme, Paris, EFEO (PEFEO, 70). 1969
• Le traité du tathâgatagarbha de Bu ston Rin chen grub, Paris, EFEO (PEFEO, 88). 1973
• The literature of the Madhyamaka school of philosophy in India, Wiesbaden, Otto Harrassowitz (History of Indian Literature, 7/1). 1981
• Buddha-nature, Mind and the problem of Gradualism in a comparative perspective: On the transmission and reception of Buddhism in India and Tibet (Jordan Lectures 1987), London, SOAS, University of London. 1989
• Ordre spirituel et ordre temporel dans la pensée bouddhique de l'Inde et du Tibet, Paris, Collège de France (Public. de l'Institut de civilisation indienne, 64). 1995

Template:Footer Template:DRL Authors of English Works Template:DRL Authors of French Works

Along with Yogācāra, it is one of the two major philosophical schools of Mahāyāna Buddhism. Founded by Nāgārjuna around the second century CE, it is rooted in the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras, though its initial exposition was presented in Nāgārjuna's Mūlamadhyamakakārikā.

Disposition, lineage, or class; an individual's gotra determines the type of enlightenment one is destined to attain.

Refers to something that is taught for a specific reason, rather than because it is entirely true.

Along with Madhyamaka, it was one of the two major philosophical schools of Mahāyāna Buddhism. Founded by Asaṅga and Vasubandhu around the fourth century CE, many of its central tenets have roots in the Saṃdhinirmocanasūtra and the so-called third turning of the dharma wheel (see tridharmacakrapravartana).

The state of being devoid of that which is wholly different rather than being void of its own nature. The term is generally used to refer to the ultimate, or buddha-nature, being empty of other phenomena such as adventitious defiling emotions but not empty of its true nature.

The state of being empty of self, which references the lack of inherent existence in relative phenomena.

Tsen Khawoche's "meditative tradition" of exegesis of the Uttaratantra; it is one of two major Tibetan traditions of exegesis, both stemming from students of Sajjana.